DODO'NA ( Lat., from (;1‘. t) _\it ancient city of Epirus. It sea, :sitinitud in a fertile s alley shout 11 wiles soutIme,t of the site of the modern Janina. on it hill project ing from Alwant and surrounded by rug,,ed mountain.. It was seat of a very ancient oracle and cult of ZI us (,urnanied the Pclasgian), 1)ione, and Aphrodite. in Hower the prophets :ire called Selloff or more p•ob ably 1lelloi, but later we hear of three priest esses, the Pelciades. or 'di .\ 101.41) lep•nd is said to attribute the origin of the oracle to it black (love, which spoke with lnannna Voice from One Of (lie neighboring oak-. The divine will Manifested by the rustling of the leaves in an oak.-grove. by the ringing echoes from a bronze tripod, strut.!: by the metal-tipped lashes of a whip rustling in the wind. and by the gushing or rippling of a fountain. It seems. indeed, that new methods of prophecy were introduced to compete with the rival oracle at 1)elphi. In the
fifth century it.e. it enjoyed great credit. and was consulted by :spartans and .\ thenians. but later it waned in importance and was sacked by .Eto lians (r,.c. 2I91 and 1;oniatis. In A.n. 516 n bishop of liodona is mcntinued. but after that the ](lace di-appears from history. and the very site was uncertain until the excavations of Car:Ili:mos in These brought to light a fortified acropo lis, a theatre. and the sacred precinct. containing temples of Zeus and Aphrodite. and other lutild• ings connected w ith the oracle. :Niftily small votive fiErtll'es were di-covered. and a number of leaden containing questions addre•-vd to the oracle. or, very rarely, an an-wet.
(' a ru patio.. I )odom. el SCN Ill I tt4 S IS7S)